K-1 Grand PrixK-1 is a combat sport that combines stand up techniques from Muay Thai, Karate, Savate, San shou, Kickboxing and traditional Boxing to determine the single best stand-up fighter in the world (the "1").

Alexey Ignashov signed a new agreement with his former manager and is 'back in business'

A new and fresh start of the year you might call it: Ignashov back in the ring on a regular base at main fighting events such as K-1 and related!

Alexey is training and living in New Zealand for several years and he had to clear his mind. Now he decided to pick up his life again, the future looks good for one of worlds most talented fighters ever.

Soon, he will has his first fight, but unfortunately we are not allowed yet to publish where abd when, nor who he will fight, but we will keep you posted.

What a nice beginning of 2009; the scorpion is back in the ring - All the fans missed you Alexey! Hopefully you will be back stronger then ever because there are some nice opponents for you to conqer!

I can only hope he becomes competitive again because some of his fights he has just sucked in, mainly the second fight against Aerts. Hopefully he just got his shit straight because I think he is only 31.

Once the menacing kick boxer who had the world at his feet, Alexei Ignashov in a bid to reconstruct his career has re-signed with K1 for this year through a deal which sees him move back to former manager Igor Jushko. The resident New Zealander via Belarus has seen minimal action since departing from his original camp and his latest signing is rumoured to give him a three fight calendar year.

Ignashov was tight lipped on the deal when roguemag.com contacted him.

‘I can’t say much at the moment but will issue a brief statement soon. I am happy to see progress’ he added.

Presently based in Auckland out of Balmoral Lee Gar trained by veteran Lollo Heimuli who also handles Kiwi heavy weight Shane Cameron, it is most likely that Ignashov will base himself in New Zealand and participate on future cards.

This comes on the back of being discarded from ‘Beast of the East’ Dutch fight promotion for early this year.

Im not too sure about Ignashov but I would love too see him back when he used to have motivation and wanted kick ass. He went from a very technical exciting fighter to one of the most boring fighters who looked like he didnt want to fight. I didnt know he beat Bjorn Bregy in his last fight, that gives me some hope.
Im going to find that fight now!

Rome was once a republic. In the great words of Caesar himself, ‘Rome must be returned to it’s rightful owners, her people’: like wise in an interesting twist of a tale, Alexei Ignashov the man everyone wants to manage will re-appear on FEG’s (Fight Entertainment Group) K1 events yet again. This thanks to a deal done by K1 most trusted agent Igor Jushko. The very man Iggy was supposed to have been estranged by.

In what can only be described a roller coaster ride of a journey where Ignashov was ostracised by K1 for switching allegiance and cutting ties, appearing on K1 black sheep Dixon McIver’s KO World Series is back on good terms.

Nothing short of incredible and a monumental change of heart by FEG after publicly washing the bad blood and dirty linen both McIver had with FEG and Ignashov had with Jushko, even Rome led by Caesar would have made note of this as an amendment to his constitution.

Let’s for a moment rewind and look at things holistically. Otherwise all these sub plots may muddy our judgment.

‘Iggy’ parted ways with Jushko due to monetary and managerial issues. He publicly opened up to express his displeasure. Then McIver and his KO used him as there Marquee athlete, pulling up lame a few times before eventually making his return against Greg Tony (to whom he lost). Under KO WS and different management, who was Sergei Sonkin based in Auckland-NZ, K1 would not have a bar of him.

Jushko is very much the lovable child of K1. Given that he is the promoter for K1 Budapest league in Europe, it is more than likely for Ignashov to feature in a super fight with the likes of Peter Vondracek or a rematch with Bjorn Bregy to get him under way. This would mean Iggy will enter via a regional show and depending on performance or be it being the flavour of the month, it is most likely he receives entry into a K1 qualifying event or eight man eliminator.

Winning a qualifier and then advancing to the final sixteen to qualify or if the ratings pick up a notch, maybe a wild card entry is a possibility.

However in this very professional game of politics filtered into prize fighting, all parties must learn to put it aside and focus on fighting in the ring. Maybe there is something way more to this deal that Jushko struck with Ignashov but what must be said is that at least now, he will get a few fights and dollars to go with it.

It’s easy to have a miscarriage of opinion which may in turn cloud any fans rational thinking. Money is indeed important in this day and age, in order to make those dollars, affiliations will get you everywhere. How true is the old cliché of ‘It’s who you know and not what you know’… Jushko for one holds the key to Ignashov. That is the plain and simple factoid. Seemingly several ‘other players’ attempted to promote and re-introduce Iggy into K1 but Jushko’s first mover advantage got him home.

Fighters have to fight or else they are as good as dead. Ignashov who suffered the ill effects of inactivity survives on his class and reputation, living to fight another day. In an era where pugilism is changing with a whole new generation of ‘smart cookies’ arriving, Iggy needs every ounce of everything he has and what he can pick up to stay competitive.

Several critics have aimed their wrath at Jushko but an undeniable fact is that Ignashov has made this move off his own free will. Admittedly there is no duress or undue influence in evidence. Therefore a sense of professionalism must be held to judge how it all took place. Iggy needs fights and he needs to get back on K1 good books. Given that KO WS fell apart even before it did a second corner, he has no other realistic option.

What’s more in a world where you could be here today and gone tomorrow, there is no point flogging a dead horse. That horse being KO World Series…

Therefore a pact where past deeds have been put aside and a new lease for the new year is team Red Scorpion’s theme.

Speaking to roguemag.com his trainer and mentor Lollo Heimuli was practical about the situation. ‘He will fight out of New Zealand as normal, unless there is a real need to change it will be done. Alexei needs to get back into K1 and this is the best possible way for all practical reasons’ he added.

‘What’s more he has always been a super fight specialist so it’s most likely we will follow that track. Some point we will focus on tournaments but no rush, he has plenty of time and most importantly he is training very hard’ further adding.

His form hasn’t been crash hot but form is mostly temporary. Class however, is permanent. Couple that with K1’s dwindling ratings- he is a gamble which is expendable enough in both ways… win and he is back, lose he will quickly become yesterdays hero who only cost one fight purse (at a significantly lower rate we learn).

A positive move from Iggy albeit at a personal cost is part and parcel in this territory. Eventually he will have to put aside any personal dramas and get on with an imperfect market where nothing is perfect, far from it. People don’t necessarily have to hold hands and talk about the weather to be successful although it may help. Ignashov, Jushko and coach Heimuli are all professional enough to understand this, hence an agreement of sorts which will give him another K1 opportunity.

Appearing on a regional level hoping to get a ticket for the bigger leagues is certainly a start, which will lead to something as opposed to nowhere.

Ignashov is not quite on K1 roster quite yet but just like how Caesar dreamt of Rome being handed over to its people, K1 fans world wide can wish for the same. Rome ended a mobocracy, Ignashov we hope won’t. That my dear friends, only time will tell. In the mean time imperfect order is better than chaos.